Joseph S. Fleis
Died February 21, 2020
CEDAR
–Joseph
Sylvester Fleis, 92, of Cedar, passed away Friday, Feb. 21, 2020 at Cherry Hill
Haven, Traverse City.
Joe was born on May 12, 1927 in Cedar, the son of Thomas and Agnes
(Pleva) Fleis. On Sept. 3, 1955, he
married Lucille A. Zywicki at Holy Rosary Church in Isadore. She preceded him in death on June 16, 2006.
Growing up Joe worked on the Fleis family farm and later served
his nation in the U.S. Army, seeing service in the Korean War. Private Second Class Fleis was a member of the
7th Infantry Division and was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge.
Joe was a life-long resident of Cedar. He was a devout Catholic and member of Holy
Rosary Church. In his youth he was an
altar server and later church usher. Joe
was a forty-year member of the Knights of Columbus.
Upon returning from the military, Joe worked as a mason for over
35 years for Hohnke Construction and later Easling Construction. He continued to do side jobs far beyond his
retirement. His creative stonework can
be seen in homes and businesses throughout the county.
Joe and his brothers would have frequent family gatherings where
they played euchre and listened to Polka music. He was an avid sports fan; he loved the
Detroit Tigers, Lions and Pistons. He
also encouraged his children to participate in sports and was their biggest
fan. He enjoyed marching annually in the
Cedar Polka Festival Parade and was proud of his Polish heritage.
Later in life Joe enjoyed the casino and his daily 4 o’clock happy
hour at the Cedar Tavern, graciously driven there by his wonderful caretaker
Patricia. Folks in Cedar may remember
seeing Joe traveling to town on his golf cart or his lawn mower.
Joe is survived by his five children, Agnes (Tom) Mikowski, Karen
(Tim) Maskill, Donna Gonder, Dennis (Lisa) Fleis, Camille (Derek) Paquette;
daughter-in-law, Rebecca Fleis,; grandchildren, Tina, Tommy, Suzy, David II, Brian,
Sarah, Alex, Lindsey, Leah, Taylor, Adam
and Sydney; his great-grandchildren, Henry, Frank, Joseph, Teresa and David
III; and his sisters; Agnes Williams and Theresa Rosinski.
In addition to his wife, Joe was preceded in death by his son,
David; brothers, Leo, Edward, Roman, Albin, Clem, Tommy, Tony, and two sisters,
Sr. Mary Therese Fleis and Susan Fleis.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Monday, February 24,
with the Rosary to be prayed at 7 p.m. at Holy Rosary Church in Isadore. The mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on
Tuesday, February 25 with the family greeting friends at 10 a.m., also at the
church. Fr. Bradley Nursey will serve as
celebrant. Burial at Mt. Calvary
Cemetery will be announced in the spring.
Memorials may be directed to Holy Rosary Church, 6982 S. Schomberg
Road, Cedar, MI 49621 and/or the Ed and Irene Fleis Education Foundation 6060
Grand Haven Road, Norton Shores, MI 49441.
Please share condolences and memories with Joe’s family below or at our funeral home Facebook page:
Dear cousins and families. My deepest sympathies to all of you in the loss of your Dad, Grandpa & Great Granddad. I will always remember his wonderful smile and big hugs when I saw him. May God bring you all peace and comfort in knowing he is rejoicing in God's heavenly home with his lovely Lucille, followed by a great Euchre game with his brothers. I will be with you in spirit when you honor his life. Love, your cousin.
ReplyDeleteI did not know Mr. Fleis but the outstanding fireplace he built in our home is a testament to his artistry.
ReplyDeleteUnknown has left a new comment on your post "Joseph S. Fleis, Died February 21, 2020":
ReplyDeleteI did not know Joseph Fleis either but was long time friends with Tom Fleis that must have been his brother. Tom & Tony worked with me and were wonderful people.
Dear Fleis Family,
ReplyDeleteWe send our most sincere condolences on the loss of your dad and grandpa, Joe. He was one of a kind in personality and craftmanship. His artistry with stone was amazing! He built our fireplace, complete with four tiny stones among the larger ones -- his "signature"!! He also built many stone walls around our barn and house, and faced the porch with stone. Our farm is the old Pete Sharnowski farm, and both he and Joe were masters at their stonework craft. It's appropriate that we have their work on our beautiful landscape.
I served many years with Lucille on the Holy Rosary School Board, and pray that she and Joe can now spend eternity together. Camille and our Suzanna were classmates for all their school years too.
May Joe and Lucille now rest in peace with our Lord.
We gave a donation toward the Padre Pio Adoration Chapel at Holy Rosary, and will pray for them and all of you during my (Judy) weekly hour there.
God bless and keep you,
Judy and Glenn